Perhaps the world of humanity was never in greater need of studying carefully and prayerfully the Word of God, and especially the Mosaic Decalogue and teachings of Jesus, than it is to-day. That portion of the world included in our own loved country is, it seems to us, in especial need of studying and applying these teachings. In the 20th chapter of Exodus we read that "Thou shalt have no other gods before me; thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.... Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold." The italics are ours.
These are deep and important commandments, infinite in their reach and vital in their significance to every human being. Upon their strict observance depend the present and future success and welfare of the whole human race, in its collective and governmental or national, as well as its individual capacity. Never until this mighty politico-governmental Platform is understood, adopted, and put into actual and specific operation, will government be truly established, or the rights, duties, obligations and liberties of the citizen guaranteed and subserved. Yet how far is the world, even of Christendom, from obeying these commandments in their letter, to say nothing of their spirit! How large a percentage of mankind is there that is not in great or less degree falling down before and worshiping these gods of mammon, —gold and silver,— and the things for which they stand? Yet history has proven over and over again the utter folly of worshiping this kind of gods. Its end has invariably verified the correctness of the prophecy quoted, "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate" —God, hate him in that they are disobeying his commandments and running after strange gods. Against this idolatry the Bible from beginning to end emphatically enjoins; and these injunctions have as great meaning for the people of to-day as they had for the people of olden times, or for the children of Israel of the Bible. The fact that we are as much the Children of Israel as were they of Bible history does not seem to be generally understood. Even Christendom has yet to learn that every precept, injunction, and supplication addressed to the Israelites, has as direct and immediate meaning for the world of mankind now as it ever had. The carnal, material senses constitute the Egyptian bondage out of which humanity must progress ere it reaches the Promised Land of spiritual freedom. Every mortal is, in this sense, a child of Israel, and the great object lessons of the Bible are meant as aids to him in his passage through the wilderness of mortal strife and misconception. When will the world learn this all-important lesson and act accordingly?
The particular gods, however, after which the people of our country, in a peculiar manner, and a most literal sense, are just now running, are the gods of gold and silver. As if in contemptuous mockery of the commandments of God we witness to-day the great political parties of the country in the throes of angry contention over these gods, the one making gold its god and the other silver, with two or three minor parties following after the same strange gods. Never was there a greater upheaval or fermentation along monetary or economical lines than that which is now on. Men are running wildly to and fro in the eager endeavor to learn which god will save the country and restore prosperity, the gold god or the silver god. Surely, think they, one or the other must be our saviour; which shall it be; and earnestly, almost piteously are thousands turning to the political leaders for light and help. Platforms are being prepared and promulgated, the purpose of which is to enlighten the people and define the principles of the respective parties.. The one declares unequivocally for gold as the only money standard, the other as unequivocally for silver as the only money standard. The one party declares that the failure to adopt its platform and put it into practical effect will result in ruin and disaster to the country for ayes to come. The other declares that unless its platform obtains, everything is lost and the country irretrievably ruined. And strange as it may seem, each is honest in its claims. The worshipers of the golden god are wholly honest in their conception that only the god of gold will prove a saviour; the worshipers of the silver god are equally honest in their conception that only the god of silver will prove a saviour; and the minor parties are just as honest as their more formidable brethren. Thus the battle is raging, growing fiercer and fiercer as time goes on, until by the time election has arrived a fever heat such as has not been witnessed since the memorable days of '60 will most likely have been reached.
